Gold Coast are set to welcome English back-rower Joe Greenwood to the NRL club in an exchange with Super League side St Helens for Zeb Taia.

Greenwood, 23, is a member of Wayne Bennett's 31-man elite English training squad ahead of this year's World Cup, and has made 77 appearances for Saints since debuting in 2012.

"We wouldn't want to stand in the way of any player wishing to ply their trade elsewhere and Joe has been given a good opportunity at the Gold Coast," St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham said.

"It's always difficult to lose a homegrown player and personally I will be sad to see him leave.

"I've worked hard with Joe to develop his game and help him grow as a person and he has done just that."
It's understood the Titans have lodged paperwork with the NRL for Greenwood's immediate signing, with an announcement expected in the coming days.

In return, they have released Taia, 32, on a contract that runs to the end of the 2019 season.

Taia played for Parramatta and Newcastle before moving to Super League in 2013 with the Catalans, for whom he scored 35 tries in 75 appearances.

Taia, who captained the Cook Islands in the 2013 World Cup after switching his allegiance from New Zealand, was named in the 2015 Super League Dream before opting to return to NRL with the Titans.

"We're delighted to have signed a player of Zeb's calibre and he will bolster our squad immediately," Cunningham said.

"He is powerful, possesses a great offload and like our other signings this season, will bring big-game experience to the Saints."